Who We Became Without You
by The White Shell Mermaid
Summary: Set during and after "Hallowinx". What if the Trix were the three sisters from Mitzi's story? What if the fourth sister wasn't just Mitzi's addition to the story but real did exist? When the Trix follow the Winx to the party, intending on taking them by surprise, they are unexpectedly reunited with their beloved baby sister, who was kidnapped years prior. Full summery inside!
1. Chapter 1

**Who We Became Without You**

 **Set during and after "Hallowinx". What if the Trix _were_ the three sisters from Mitzi's story? What if the fourth sister wasn't just Mitzi's addition to the story, but really did exist? When the Trix follow the Winx to the party, intending on taking them by surprise, they are unexpectedly reunited with their beloved baby sister, who was kidnapped years prior. But what happens when old enemies resurface and are out for blood? Can the sisters protect each other or will everything they've rebuilt come crashing down?**

 **Chapter 1: The Fourth Sister**

The three Witches had been following the Winx around for hours, always keeping just out of sight. God, those fairies were so dumb. They were completely oblivious to the fact that they were being followed, and the sisters weren't even in disguise!

It had been a pretty uneventful day and they had quickly become bored of their task. Gardenia was such a boring place! The most excitement they'd had was when they were scheming to get rid of that annoying brat, Mitzi. She was apparently the party host, but she was a real bitch and had the most annoying voice any of them had ever heard. When they'd first arrived, the Winx had bumped into her and the trix were hidden in a nearby alleyway. Upon hearing her voice, Stormy had nearly blown a hole in her head and the others had to stop her for fear of giving away their presence. Under other circumstances they would have gladly let their little sister end her.

Now, it was finally dark outside and they were (at long last) headed to the party. The Winx were using their fairy forms as costumes, but the witches had yet to put on their own disguises, which would end up being unnecessary anyway.

Their faces paled as they caught sight of the decrepit old house the fairies were approaching. It looked like it had been abandoned for years, but in reality, the sisters new, it hadn't even been a decade.

As the Winx were invited inside, they dropped to their knees under a weeping willow tree.

"No . . ." Darcy whispered, her voice barely audible.

"It can't be . . ." Stormy trailed off.

Icy squeezed her eyes shut against the cruel memories of pain and grief that overwhelmed her, dragging her back to that dark, dark place. The pain of losing their parents and failing to protect their baby sister fresh in her mind. Traitorous thoughts that had been buried in the deepest recesses of her mind resurfaced, whispering darkly. _You're a failure. You'll never be forgiven. What a terrible sister! You can't even protect your family! It's all your fault! You don't deserve this life!_

"I failed." She whispered, as she stared at the ground.

Her sisters did not speak. They were lost in their own minds, holding each other brokenly. The air had turned cold around her, a few stray flurries floating down as the minutes ticked by. She didn't know how long they sat there, unwilling to move or carry out their plan.

It wasn't until noise erupted in the yard nearby that they were pulled back to reality.

They watched as several party guests stood in the yard, holding jack o lanterns above their heads and three ghostly figures surrounded the Winx. Off near the house a fourth figure, identical to the first three, was headed for the group of fairies. Upon her arrival, Stella exclaimed, "Mitzi!" And the gig was up. All four figures took off their masks, revealing that they were party guests as well, with the exception of Mitzi, the hostess.

As Mitzi went off on a spiel in front of the Winx, another figure appeared, hovering in the sky, like she had teleported there. As she floated down, Mitzi turned around, and promptly fainted, much to the witches' delight.

The girl was small, not much more than child, but when she took off her mask, which was identical to those of Mitzi and her assistants, the sisters gasped. For there in the place of the mask was a face they'd never forget.

The girl looked at Mitzi, nudged her with a foot, and snickered. "I am _not_ that scary."

She looked up and glanced around, eyeing the fairies curiously, wondering whether they were real or just people in costumes, before her gaze danced across the yard and landed on the three witches.

A huge smile spread across her face and she took off running towards them.

"Icy! Darcy! Stormy!" She squealed joyously.

The Winx panicked, clearly thinking she was toast. Layla tried to grab the kid, but missed. Stella started screaming and there was a look of sheer horror on Flora's face.

"Stop!" Bloom shrilled.

The girl didn't listen, instead she barrelled into Icy, who wasted no time in wrapping her in a tight hug.

Icy wasn't one to cry. Crying was a sign of weakness. She hadn't even cried when their parents died, she had forced herself to stay strong for her little sisters. But in that moment, she didn't care who saw her. Tears slid freely down her cheeks as the little sister she thought to be lost jumped into her arms.

"Sisters!" The girl exclaimed. "I found you!"

"Lily. Oh Lily." Icy whispered through her tears.

"Oh Dragon! Lily!" Darcy cried. "We thought you were dead!"

"We didn't think we'd ever see you again!" Stormy added tearfully.

It didn't take long for Darcy and Stormy to join in the hug, and soon, all four sisters were in each other's arms. The three older ones fawned over the youngest in such a way that nobody would have ever believed they were ever trying to take over Magix.

 **o0o**

"Am I seeing this right?" Musa questioned as she stared at the reunion in a state of shocked confusion.

"Who the hell is that kid?! Where did she come from?!" Layla exclaimed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Said Tecna. "She must the trix's sister."

"Hold on! Would that not mean . . ." Flora trailed off.

Tecna nodded. "It would appear they are, in fact the sisters from Mitzi's story."

"That's not possible." Bloom argued. "That story took place a century ago! Not to mention they're descendants of the Ancestral witches! They couldn't be from Earth!"

Stella stormed over the tree, where the sisters seemed quite oblivious to their presence. "Would someone like to explain what the _hell_ is going on here?" She exclaimed, hands on hips and a glare plastered on her face.

The sudden exclamation seemed to startle the sisters, and Icy pulled the little girl - Lily - closer to her and gave the sun fairy a bitter glare.

"Way to ruin the moment!" Flora hissed in her ear.

"Yeah!" Stormy agreed. "Way to ruin it! You fairies are _so_ nosy."

"Sor-ry!" Stella huffed. "But it's not every day you see witches in tears, hugging each other! I got curious."

"Whatever." Icy whipped the remaining tears from her eyes. "I suppose you deserve to know. We did follow you here after all."

Layla raised an eyebrow. "We're actually going to stand here and have a civilized conversation?"

Darcy ignored the fairy and continued. "We should start at the beginning." she motioned to the old house. "We were raised here - Icy, Stormy and I that is. Lily was only five when -"

"The shit hit the fan." Stormy finished darkly. "Some lunatic m-murdered our parents. If it weren't for Griffin, the lot of us would have ended up in foster care."

"Griffin?" Bloom questioned. "What did she do?"

"She was apparently an old friend of our parents. They-they made a deal that if something happened to them, she was to come here, and take us all back to the Magic Dimension." Darcy supplied.

"The day she arrived, Lily was kidnapped. We searched high and low but there wasn't a trace. We-we believed she was dead." Icy was almost in tears again. She seemed to be taking this harder than her sisters.

"We came back every weekend to look for her, but without the slightest trace, we lost hope." Darcy added.

Stormy sighed, her eyes focusing on something far away. "Before all that, life was _good_. Our parents loved us. We had the best baby sister in all the realms . . ."

"Everything changed when our powers started to develop. We learnt from our parents, of Magic Dimension. They promised we'd go back, that we could go and learn magic, but they never got the chance to keep it." Darcy continued.

Images danced above her head of three little girls, crouching around a baby in a basket, shifting to three teenagers standing close, one holding a little girl in her arms, leaning on one another, looking at the ground. That shifted again to show the three teenagers on their knees, their faces buried in their hands. The child was nowhere in sight. It continued like that showing images of grief, hopelessness and looming shadows.

The fairies were shocked to hear the story of their enemies, so different from what they had imagined. To learn they weren't any different than themselves in the beginning. That they had loved their family and were broken by the loss of dear parents and a beloved baby sister.

"That's terrible." Whispered Flora.

"It all makes sense now." Said Bloom. "Why you're so vengeful. So angry."

"Our judgment was clouded and twisted by grief." Darcy explained. "The darkness crept in, making easy victims of us."

Easy victims. . .

 **Hope you enjoyed and please review! I'd love to hear what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Lost and Found**

 **Thank you all for the favourites, follows and reviews!**

 **Chapter 2: Redemption and Revenge**

A month had gone by since that wonderful Halloween night when Lily had returned to them, and _a lot_ had happened.

They had switched sides pretty quickly, and without anyone to do his dirty work, Darkar was left to the mercy of the Winx. After that, Griffin (surprisingly enough) had let them return to Cloud Tower to finish their senior year.

Lily had even been allowed into a couple of first-year classes, despite her young age. As it was, the earth fairies she had been imprisoned with had been teaching her the entire time she was there and they were apparently a vengeful lot. Some of them, Lily had said, had even turned to dark magic, which was a benefit to her, as now, she knew more about magic than some of the freshmen.

It appeared they were being given a second chance, something they never thought possible after what _they'd_ done.

 **o0o**

The library was a busy place that night, full of young witches studying. Among these witchlings, were Darcy, Stormy and Lily. They were sitting around a circular table, researching for the projects they'd been given, and had been since just after dinner.

Stormy groaned a slammed her book closed. "Anyone wanna go for walk?"

"I'll come!" Lily offered. "I need a break to."

Darcy leaned back in her seat. "Ok. Then go see where Icy's at while your at it."

After dinner, Icy, who had claimed to be in desperate need of a bath had gone back to their room to do just that. She had _said_ she would join them after, but that was the thing with Icy. She would often say one thing and than privately change her mind and do another without mentioning it to the rest of them, leaving them to wonder where she had gone off to.

"Yeah sure. Come on Lily!" Stormy replied.

The two sisters headed out, leaving the third to study in peace. They walked through the winding corridors of the castle, chatting happily about pointless things like how professor Ediltrude had been in an exceptionally bad mood that day, which was then countered by the fact that she _always_ in a bad mood and that she must really hate her job if she was always so grumpy.

When they eventually ended up at their door Stormy pulled out her key from her pocket and unlocked it.

They had gotten their old room back as apparently it was left empty because the students were afraid they had cursed it when they left or something. It was down the senior wing, which meant they had their own bathroom, but there were only three beds so they had to drag one in from a room down the hall that also had three beds but only two occupants, so now it was more crowded and chaotic than ever.

"Hey!" Stormy yelped as she tripped over something that had been left on floor.

The room was pitch black as there were no windows and Icy had apparently left the lights off. Odd. If it were Darcy, she wouldn't be surprised, that one liked to sit in the dark, but Icy preferred to see what she was doing.

"Get the lights would you, sister?" Stormy huffed.

"I'm trying - oh, got it!" Lily exclaimed.

As the lights flickered on, they found the room to be empty and quiet. The bathroom door was closed and light filtered from the space underneath.

"Huh. She can't still be in the bath." Said Stormy. "It's been over two hours!"

"Maybe she fell asleep?" Lily walked over to the door and knocked. "Hey, Icy?"

No answer.

"Icy?" She tried again. "You still in there?"

Silence.

Stormy joined her. "Icy?" She called.

Still nothing.

Lily frowned, opened the door a crack and peaked in.

"Ic-ICY!" she let out an ear-piercing scream and stumbled back into Stormy, who was standing behind her. The door swung open and Stormy to screamed at what she saw.

Icy was laying in the bathtub, covered in blood. It stained her white hair and turned the water red. She was deathly pale and unmoving. They couldn't even tell if she was breathing.

Stormy didn't know what to do, her mind had gone blank, and Lily was in flat out hysterics. Also, by this point the noise had attracted the attention of their neighbors, who were pounding on the door, wondering what was going on. When they didn't answer, someone used magic to unlock it, obviously thinking, by the sound of the scream, that someone was being murdered. They too panicked at the sight of the crime scene that was now the sisters' bathroom.

"What the hell?!" Someone exclaimed.

"What's going on?" A witch near the back of crowd called.

"Someone call 911!" Someone else yelled.

"What about ? Someone call her!" Another witch called.

Phones were being whipped out, and numbers dialled.

"L-Lily do remember how to use the ear?" Stormy's voice shook.

Lily nodded.

"Call Darcy. Tell her to get up here, ASAP!"

Stormy, finally able to move, ran to Icy, and Lily stumbled to the wall, where she pressed her hand to it and whispered. "Exclamo!"

"Icy? Icy answer me!" Stormy tried desperately.

She fumbled with her sisters wrist, desperately searching for a pulse. It was faint but there.

"It's not working!" Lily cried frantically.

"You have to calm down." Stormy advised. "Focus on Darcy."

Stormy grabbed a towel and pressed it to what appeared to a stab wound in her elder sister's chest, dangerously close to her heart.

"D-Darcy something's wrong. You-you need to come back to the room. _Now_." Lily's voice wavered.

"What-" The elder sister started.

"J-just come. Hurry."

"I'm on my way." And the call ended, leaving poor Lily standing there, traumatized and shaking like a leaf, tears filling her eyes.

"What's going on here?" Someone questioned out in the hall.

It was professor Ediltrude. This prompted the gossip to start up again.

"Someone killed Icy!"

"There's a killer loose in the school!"

"Somebody's out to get the trix!"

"What if they want us to?"

"Are you sure she's dead?"

"Oh dragon! She's not moving!"

"Out of my way!" Ediltrude yelled as she pushed her way through the crowd.

Just as she made it through and into the room, Darcy teleported in, looking breathless. "What's wrong Lily?" She questioned.

"I-Icy. . ." She whimpered.

Darcy looked over to Stormy who was still in the bathroom. She gasped. "Oh gods. Stormy, what happened!?"

"I-I don't know!" The storm witch cried.

And then there were three traumatized sisters, a panicked professor and a flustered and confused headmistress who had just been dragged halfway across the castle by a hysterical witchling babbling something about dead people and the Trix sisters.

At first she had thought those three were at it again, but that was before she saw the crime scene that was their dorm room.

Stormy and Lily had exclaimed that they'd found Icy like this and that they had no idea what had happened.

Darcy, on the other hand had just teleported in after receiving a hysterical call from Lily, and was just as confused as the headmistress herself.

Ediltrude who had arrived on the scene at the same time as Darcy, had determined that Icy was alive, but barely, and that several students had spammed 911 in a panic, and that emergency responders were en route.

Emergency responders indeed. No sooner had those words escaped the professor's mouth than a flustered witch came running into the room followed by paramedics and police officers, who immediately started asking questions. _That_ only seemed to worsen the situation, as Lily was in no state to be interrogated and Stormy got defensive, which she tended to do when she was panicked. Darcy, who held Lily close in an effort to comfort her, was no help at all, as for once in her life she was clueless.

As the officers continued questioning the remaining three sisters, the Headmistress pulled Ediltrude aside.

"We need to put the school into lockdown. No one is allowed in or out. You know the drill." She said. "Also find Zarathustra, tell her what's going on, send her to notify the guard."

"Of course, Headmistress." Ediltrude nodded and hurried off, clearing away the crowd in the process, leaving only a couple of curious onlookers peeking out the door across the hall.

sighed. "How did this happen?"

Never in the history of the school had a student been murdered on campus. Not even when said student also happened to be a former warlord with realms worth of enemies. Not that they'd ever had former warlords attending the school before, but still, it was troubling.

"It's very strange. There's no sign of forced entry, but there's also no traces of magic other than that of an ice witch, which I assume is the victim, judging by her appearance." The officer looked at the sisters for confirmation.

Darcy nodded. "That would be correct."

"What are you suggesting?" Stormy's eyes widened. "That she did it to herself?!"

"I'm sorry to say it's certainly a possibility-" The officer started.

"No-NO! She wouldn't do that! Not now!" Stormy exclaimed tearfully.

Darcy pulled her close. "It's okay. We know that." She whispered, before continuing to the others. "She's right. Icy would never leave us like that. Especially Lily. She'd never hurt Lily like that. Ever."

"Well. . ." the officer said. It was going to be a long night.

Darcy cut him off. "No. Lily's return changed everything. When she disappeared, Icy went to a dark place. She loves her more than anything and blamed herself when we lost her, but when she returned, it was like someone hit a light switch. For all of us."

"Huh." The officer scribbled something on his notepad.

"We are all each other has!" Stormy cried. "Don't you see? We _need_ each other! Don't you remember what happened when Lily was gone? We tore the world apart! Icy knows we'd lose it again if we lost her!"

Before anymore could be said the paramedics came out with Icy on a stretcher. She looked far from good.

Stormy made a strangled sound, while Lily buried her face in Darcy's shirt. "She'll be okay right? Tell me she'll be okay!" She pleaded.

The paramedic shook his head."it's impossible to tell, but I promise she's in good hands."

The sisters didn't reply, just moved to follow them out. Before they could get far, Griffen stopped them.

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave. The schools in lockdown, and the culprit may still be here, after you. I want you to stay in your room until morning, and don't wander off alone." She said.

"But-"

"No buts. I know this is hard. You may go in the morning. For now, sit tight."

But that was easier said than done, especially when your eldest sister, the glue that held the family together, was fighting for her life.

 **Will Icy be okay? Who did this? Does it have something to do with Lily's kidnappers and their parents killers?**

 **Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Who We Became Without You**

 **Chapter 3: Old Friends and Broken Rules**

They were confined to their room. _Hell._ They weren't allowed to leave until morning. _Curses!_ That was as good as torture for a wanderer like Darcy. She wasn't the type of person who could stay cooped up for hours on end, especially in a situation like this.

No. . . She needed _out_.

To drift through the hallways and lurk in the shadows, to calm the racing thoughts that invaded her mind. It was what she'd always done, ever since she was small. She would just disappear for hours at a time, wandering the streets, or when she was older, lurking in dark allies. When she finally did return her parents would be worried sick and on the verge of calling the police. Then they got used to her sporadic disappearances and would just send Icy or Stormy - or the both of them - out to find her. And then the three of them would wander around together until their parents were sufficiently worried before heading home.

 _Yep. . ._ that was the life. Before things got complicated. Before they developed powers that caught the attention of old enemies. Before their parents were brutally murdered and they were brought back here, where everything went to hell. Before those old enemies returned, intent on finishing the job.

If Darcy ever came face to face with them, they'd be sorry they ever messed her family up so bad. Yeah. . . She'd teach them a lesson. Eventually. But that was easier said than done when she had no idea who they were or what their motives were.

She continued to sit on her bed, with her sisters, staring at her phone. They feared the worst. That the hospital would call to tell them Icy was gone. That they couldn't save her. They were certain it would happen. Certain that what they had pieced back together would all fall apart again. That once again they would be four minus one. And four minus one equals three. They hated that number. Because when they were three, bad things happened.

She was pulled out of thoughts by a sniffle, and looked up to see Lily wipe a tear from her cheek. She stared back at Darcy with wide, terrified eyes.

"Hey. Come here." Darcy held out her arms for her littlest sister.

Lily crawled across the bed and she wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "It's okay. It'll be okay." But she couldn't promise. Not when she didn't know herself.

"No it won't!" Lily cried. "We just got each other back, and now we're going to lose Icy!"

"Don't say that!" Stormy crawled over to. "Don't you dare say that! She'll be okay. She has to be okay!" Tears started to well in her eyes.

Darcy wrapped an arm around Stormy too. "We'll find who did this. They'll pay the price!"

"You're right. They have no idea who they're dealing with!" Stormy's eyes glinted with determination.

"Neither do we." Lily's voice was small.

Darcy grinned slyly. "They can't hide from me forever."

 **o0o**

It was dark. But for Darcy, it wasn't quite as dark as it was for anybody else. She could make out all of the furniture and nick-nacks that filled the gloomy, witchy dorm room just fine. It came with being the all-powerful witch of darkness. Like Icy was immune to the cold and Stormy would forever remain unharmed by the bolts of lightning that seemed to gravitate towards her during a storm, Darcy could see in the dark.

It was not, however, ideal when she was supposed to be sleeping. Darcy was the definition of a 'night owl'. She loved the night, and the dark and the silence. She could pull all-nighters and remain unaffected the next day. Sometimes she did it unintentionally too, but her night vision was all the more reason to stay up. Hell, she could see better at night than during the day, that was why she had glasses, which she _only_ wore during the day.

Darcy sighed, sat up and proceeded to look around the room. Stormy and Lily were, it seemed, finally asleep. Darcy was glad for that. It was quite late by the time they'd managed to calm each other down and get ready for bed, and even later by the time her sisters had stopped tossing and turning. She really didn't want to have to deal with Stormy in the morning, who could be a real monster when she was tired.

She took a careful glance around the room before standing, heading for the door, and stepping straight through it into the corridor beyond. It was time to break Griffin's newly erected, if not temporary rule. A rule that was just _begging_ to be broken.

 _Don't go out alone. Don't leave each other alone._

Ha. That was _made_ to be broken. But even though she was currently breaking it, didn't mean she was stupid. She new that if whoever was responsible for this mess wanted to get at the rest of the sisters, they'd wait to get them alone. She also new Stormy and Lily were safe together (hopefully) and that she, herself, could detect an unwanted presence the moment they were on the same floor. So she wasn't afraid. If anybody tried anything, they'd be fighting her in her own element. An element that she could manipulate and bend to her will. They wouldn't stand a chance.

Would they?

No.

Maybe. . .

 _No._

They did get Icy. . .

 _NO._

Icy was unsuspecting.

She was not.

She was in her element.

They'd be foolish to try anything now.

They would pay if they did.

Yes. . . She melted into the shadows and reappeared a little farther down the hallway. She sunk through the floor and reappeared in the corridor below, floating silently down it. There was something about roaming the castle at night. It was different at night. Still gloomy. But different. It was darker, more unpredictable. People, mostly seniors trying to scare the freshmen, used to say that the castle became like a tesseract at night. It would fold in on itself in time, the past, present and future would collide, and the hallways and rooms would become hopelessly tangled. They said that if you left your room at night, you would become lost in both space and time. Forever.

Darcy almost laughed out loud. That was _ridiculous!_

It couldn't possibly be true. She would know. She herself had debunked that theory dozens of times. She wandered the halls at night all the time and was still where she was supposed to be. If you didn't count the fact that she was technically _supposed_ to be in her room at this very moment of course.

She stopped when she spotted a figure standing in the hallway ahead, with it's back to her. Stopping in her tracks, she melted into the shadows just as the person turned in her direction.

"Who's there?"

Darcy immediately relaxed. She new that voice. It was the voice of a friend.

"Don't bother hiding. I know you're there."

Darcy reappeared right behind the cat-witch and tapped her shoulder. "Oh relax. Don't tell me you're afraid of friends now!"

She whirled around in surprise. "Darcy! What the hell? I thought you were an intruder!"

"Raven. Long time no see."

Raven stared back, green eyes bright against ebony fur, pointed ears pricked. "What are you even doing out here? I thought Griffin confined you all to your room until morning."

"A rule that was made to be broken." Darcy pointed out.

The cat-witch curled her long, black tail around herself and fingered the tip. "Right, and when Griffin finds out, I had nothing to do with it."

"She won't, but if she does, your name will not be mentioned."

"Good." Said Raven. "You're lucky you ran into me and not somebody else. You do know that we are all on high alert right? We're out at double our usual numbers. Any other guard would have ratted you out to Griffin."

Darcy smirked. "You must be forgetting who I am. I wouldn't have revealed myself to anyone else."

"You haven't changed a bit."

Darcy raised an eyebrow.

"Except of course, you are no longer evil." Raven added quickly.

"That's better. Have you met Lily?" Darcy questioned.

Raven shook her head. "I usually work the night shift."

"Oh, that's right."

Raven shrugged. "It's not like they give me a choice. I blend right into the darkness. The _perfect_ night guard."

"Good point." The two continued down the hall, slinking from room to room, chatting in hushed voices amongst themselves.

"You know." Said Raven. "You seem a lot happier now. More relaxed."

Darcy nodded in agreement. "Lily's return changed everything. Just like her disappearance did."

Raven sighed. "I can't imagine how it must have felt to lose your youngest sister so soon after losing your parents."

"Horrible. It broke us. Icy blamed herself. She went to such a dark place, we thought we'd lose her to."

Raven nodded. "I remember. You used to come out at night. That's how we met."

Darcy closed her eyes against the dark memories. "The day we found. . . Icy in our room, her. . . Wrists slit and barely alive." She bit her lip, fighting tears.

"You cried on my shoulder for hours. You were so afraid of losing another sister."

Darcy turned to her, betraying tears forming in her amber eyes, her efforts to push them back in vain.

Raven wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "Icy is strong. She'll pull through."

"I wish I could believe that." Darcy rubbed at her tears. "But she was so still. So cold and pale." She clenched her teeth as more tears fell. "Raven, if Icy doesn't make it. . . She's the closest thing Lily has to a mother."

"I know." Raven sighed. "This must be so hard for her."

"Raven. . . Three is a terrible number."

The cat-witch blinked. "Uh, what?"

"If Icy dies. . . We'll be three again. Raven, promise me that if Stormy and I went back to our old ways, that you _will_ protect Lily. Take her far away if have to, just make sure she's safe." Darcy pleaded.

Raven sighed. "I. . . Darcy I can't just take her away from you. . ."

" _Please_ Raven. If anything happened to her, Icy would never forgive us. It's what she would want." Darcy stressed.

There was a long pause. Silence crept in around them, eerie and heavy. "Ok, fine. If you're sure."

Relief flooded Darcy's features. "Thank you, Raven."

Raven smiled, flashing sharp white teeth. "I'll always have your back, Darcy, you know that."

"Even when we tried to take over Magix?" She raised her eyebrow jokingly.

"I may not have agreed with those actions, but, eh, you were still my friend, angry and hurting, but my friend."

Darcy grinned. "I've never had a friend quite like you before."

Raven shrugged in response. "We cat-witches stay loyal to our friends."

"You want in on a secret?"

The cat-witch blinked. "Sure. Fire away."

"We weren't ourselves then. The Ancestral witches were possessing us. Using our bodies. Controlling our every move like puppeteers controlling their puppets. They _made_ us attack that fairy and start that war. We never cared about the dragon flame and we only helped Darkar because he broke us out of light haven, we always planned to run as soon as possible, but we got ourselves in too deep."

Raven stared at her friend. "You. . . The ancestral witches _used_ you? Why? Why you?"

Darcy nodded. "I-I think because we have similar powers to theirs. But they left us as soon as we failed and got sent to light haven."

Raven shivered, her ears flattening. "That must have been traumatic. Having someone else controlling you."

"It was agonizing. If I tried to fight against it, Lysslis - she was the one controlling me - would tear my mind apart. Dredge up my worst memories, contaminate the good ones. She turned my mind against me. Corrupted me in the slowest, most painful way she could." Darcy clenched her hands into fists.

"Good _Lord_." Raven's green eyes were wide and her jaw dropped.

"Her methods were far worse than Belladonna's and Tharma's. _Far_ worse." Darcy sighed. "She haunts my dreams, terrorizes me as punishment for failing."

"That bitch! How can she blame _you_ for failing, when _she_ was the one controlling you!" Raven hissed through clenched teeth.

Darcy turned to her and her golden eyes flashed. "You really think they would blame themselves? Of course not! In their eyes it's _never_ their fault. When they failed to get the flame the first time and destroyed Domino, they laid the blame on Princess Daphne for sending Bloom away and Griffin for jumping ship! The second time around, they blamed us, for being too weak to beat the fairies. They would never admit that it was their own incompetence that caused their failures!"

"Even though it clearly was! What did they expect when they chose adolescent witches as their puppets!" Raven added. "They should have known what would happen!"

"I know. But I suppose it's probably difficult to find three witch sisters who all happen to have powers like theirs." Darcy pointed out.

"True. . . Although they could have just waited a few more years until you all graduated and stuff." Raven said, as if that would have made all the difference.

"Yeah, well, maybe they were just _so_ excited to find us after years and _years_ of searching for suitable puppets that they _just_ couldn't wait any longer." Darcy shrugged sarcastically.

At that, Raven burst out laughing.

"What? It's not _that_ far-fetched." Said Darcy.

Raven wiped a tear from her eye. "I know, it's just that I pictured the Ancestresses all giddy with excitement and it was funny."

"Oh. . ." And then Darcy was laughing too. "The image of the incarnations of evil, giddy with childish excitement. . . Like little kids who had just been given ice-cream."

Raven stared at her. "The Ancestor witches eating ice-cream. . . I bet Belladonna - she's the one with ice powers right? - I bet she made ice- cream - I bet she loved the stuff! Maybe even more than Icy!"

"Not possible. Icy is the ice-cream _Queen._ She would eat it at every meal if she could!" Darcy argued.

"So what? She has powers over ice-cream now?" Raven snickered.

"what?"

"If she is now the ice-cream Queen, that would mean she is now the witch of ice-cream, rather than just plain ice." Said Raven. "Right?"

" _Oh_ she would _love_ that!" Darcy exclaimed.

And then they had managed to turn a dark subject into a rather funny one. Raven became distracted from her job, and Darcy had completely forgotten about the current pressing situation involving her elder sister.

They continued making jokes about the Ancestresses as they walked down the corridor. Darcy was feeling much better now. Trust Raven to make jokes out of the Ancient witches. Her cat-witch friend always seemed to know how to lighten the mood.

Darcy stopped as they came to the end of the hall. "I should probably be getting back, before we get caught. I don't want my sisters waking up and panicking when they see I'm not there."

Raven nodded in agreement. "I'll be in it if I get caught fooling around on the job, especially right now."

So they said their goodbyes and see you laters, before heading their separate ways.

Darcy teleported back to her room and, after assuring Lily and Stormy were still asleep, climbed into her own bed, finally feeling somewhat tired. Before she knew it, she had drifted off.

A while later, she felt her bed dip beneath her. She rolled over, her eyes fluttering open, expecting the intruder, about to take their next victim. She relaxed when her eyes landed on Lily, her black curls as untamed as Stormy's and her amber eyes reflecting more worry and fear than a child should ever be privy to.

"What's up, honey?" The sisters only ever used that term when referring to Lily.

"I had a nightmare." The littlest sister whimpered. "We were too late to save Icy." Tears formed in her eyes.

Darcy sighed. "Hey, come here."

She opened her arms for Lily, who climbed onto the bed and snuggled against her. "It'll be okay." But again, she couldn't promise, no matter how much she wanted to.

It didn't take long for Lily to fall asleep again, having wanted nothing more than her big sister's comfort. Darcy laid there for a while, running her fingers through Lily's perfect ringlets, before falling asleep again herself.

 **Disclaimer: The cat-witch idea is not mine, it came from another story I read.**

 **I hope you enjoyed, and please review! Suggestions and Ideas are welcome!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Who We Became Without You**

 _ **Italics**_ **are Icy's dreams or memories**

 **Warning: mention of selfharm**

 **Chapter 4: We Might Be Falling**

When she woke up the next morning, Darcy found Lily still snuggled against her, sound asleep and the weight of something heavy on top of her feet. She carefully untangled herself from Lily and sat up to investigate, only to find Stormy draped over the  
/end of her bed, wrapped in her own blanket.

Darcy smiled faintly. What would she do without her sisters?

She watched her younger sisters sleep for while, all crammed onto the tiny dorm room bed, until she realized her feet were asleep from Stormy laying on them. As she attempted to free herself without waking her sister, Stormy grumbled and slowly opened  
/her eyes. Oops. Oh well.

"Morning, sleepy witch." She greeted.

"Morning" Stormy suddenly sat up, eyes widening. "I'm sorry - I - I -"

"Stormy." She said. "It's okay. Do you remember the night after mom and dad died?"

Stormy nodded, remembering that long ago night when things had first started to crumble. They had all ended up in Icy's room, curled up together on Icy's bed. They hadn't wanted to be alone. Didn't want to brave the long, cold night by themselves. Scared  
/that if they did, their parent's killers would strike again, and they couldn't bare to lose each other, as each other was all they had left.

"Yeah."

Darcy smiled. "You'll always be welcome Stormy. No need to apologize."

Stormy smiled back, just as Lily began to stir. "Bout' time! We thought you'd sleep the day away!"

Lily sat up and looked around groggily. "Can we go see Icy now?"

"We have to get ready first, silly." Said Darcy.

"I don't care what Griffin says. She can't keep us locked up forever." Stormy added.

 _When 16 year old Icy found herself standing in the kitchen with Darcy and Stormy the next morning, she had a sick feeling that something was wrong. Their parents had gone out on a dinner date the previous night and had yet to return home. They hadn't heard a word from them since they'd said goodbye and walked out the door at about 6:00 pm last evening, and it was now 10:00 am the next morning._

 _15 year old Darcy gave a sideways glance towards 5 year old Lily, who was playing with some toys in the living room. "I'm sure they just got a hotel room for the night or something." She said, but she didn't seem convinced._

" _They would have called though." Reasoned 14 year old Stormy. "Right?"_

 _Icy jumped as the toaster popped, pulling her out of her thoughts. Darcy turned around and started to butter the toast distractedly, and she moved to check the eggs cooking in the pan behind her. Stormy pulled out three glasses and a plastic cup for Lily and filled them with juice._

 _They all sat around the table, eating in silence. Lily looked around at the worried faces of her three big sisters. "Where's Mama and Daddy?" She questioned innocently._

 _Icy looked up from her plate. "I don't know sweety. I'm sure they'll be back soon." She forced a smile._

 _The words had barely left her lips when the doorbell rang. They looked at each other, wondering who it could be._

" _I'll get it."_

 _She got up and went through to the entrance. When she opened the door, she paled. She wasn't expecting their parents - they had a key - but she wasn't expecting the uniformed police officer either._

" _Good morning miss, I'm very sorry to disturb you. Are you Icy, by any chance?" He said._

" _Yes. . . Is this about my parents?" She replied._

 _He looked at the ground for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. "I am afraid it is. May I come in?"_

" _Oh, uh, of course." She moved aside to let him enter, and as he did, Darcy, Stormy and Lily appeared in the doorway leading to the other room. Darcy and Stormy froze at the sight of the officer._

 _He looked between the four of them. "I understand they didn't come home last night?"_

 _Icy shook her head. "No." She felt sick. Her breathing quickened a bit. She new what was coming next._

" _I am sorry girls. But I have some rather disheartening news." He said._

 _Darcy looked down at Lily. "Why don't you go and play, ok?" She suggested._

" _But -" she was about to protest._

" _Lily." Darcy warned._

 _The little one pouted but turned and ran off._

 _Icy walked around to stand with her sisters. She could see Stormy trembling slightly, but Darcy was now as still as a statue._

" _What happened?" Icy asked weakly._

 _He sighed. He hated this part of his job, but he new it was better to just get it over with, rather than beat around the bush. "Gloria and Andrew's bodies were found by a passerby in an alley this morning."_

 _Icy covered her mouth, as tears formed in her eyes. Stormy gasped, turning pale. Darcy didn't move. She was frozen._

" _W-what?" Her voice was barely a whisper._

 _The officer fiddled with a button on his uniform. "They were both found dead just after dawn. We are still trying to determine what happened." He said. He rubbed his forehead. Sometimes he despised his job. "I'm going to need to ask you some questions."_

 _Icy nodded but was no longer paying attention. His words were barely even registering in her mind, and neither was anything else. The room seemed to fade around her, as her world crumbled and fell away. She didn't notice as Stormy leaned against her, or when Darcy led the way to the den. She didn't hear the questions he asked or the answers her sisters gave. Only when the door clicked shut behind him and Stormy dropped to her knees in tears, did she snap out of her trance._

 _She sunk to her knees and Stormy threw herself into her eldest sister's arms, sobbing into her chest as Icy rubbed her back soothingly and rocked her gently, all the while forcing her own tears back. She watched as Darcy continued to stare at the door, unspeaking, unmoving and unseeing. Just. . . Staring, as tears cascaded down her cheeks._

" _Sisters?" Lily's little voice sounded from behind them._

 _Darcy dropped to her knees then, burying her face in her hands. It took every ounce of Icy's resolve not to burst into tears. What were they supposed to tell Lily?_

After three fast showers and a quick breakfast, they went down to the school's bus stop. There was only one other person on the bus (the bus that ran the school route was always empty on week days) and, unfortunately, it had to be a certain sun fairy.

"Long time, no see." Stella looked between the three witch sisters.

"Yeah." Darcy replied dully. She didn't feel like getting into an argument with the fairy.

"What's with the long faces?" Stella continued. "You look like you just got back from a funeral."

Stormy glared at her. "Why are _you_ so cheerful?" She snapped.

"I'm going for full day of shopping! Although no one wanted to join me. . . Not even Bloom." Said Stella.

Darcy rolled her eyes. They sat in silence for a while, until Stella spoke up again.

"Hey, where's Icy? She didn't want to join you?"

Darcy and Stormy suddenly became very interested in their shoes, and Lily, who was sitting between them, bit her lip as she held back her tears. It obviously wasn't the reaction Stella had expected.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to her?"

"That's none of your business!" Stormy snapped.

Darcy shook her head. "You don't want to know."

"Try me." There was something - concern? In her voice as she moved over a seat, although she'd never admit it to anybody. Stella might have been loud and she might seem insensitive at times, but that had always been a mask to protect the sensitive girl  
/underneath.

Stormy crossed her arms and looked away, but Darcy glanced up, a pained look in her amber eyes. "She's in the hospital. We don't know if she's okay or not."

"Seriously? What the hell happened?" Stella questioned.

"Old enemies." Darcy sighed. "Whoever killed our parents and kidnapped Lily, I think they're back to finish the job, whatever it may be."

"Are you saying somebody tried to murder her?"

Darcy nodded, and then the story was flooding from her lips as she failed to stop herself, the horrors of the previous night breaking free from the confines of her mind and piecing together in gruesome detail. Stella found herself rendered speechless  
/as she listened.

"Hold on. You said _Lily_ found her like that?!" Said Stella, after Darcy had finished.

There was a collective nod from the sisters.

"Dear _Lord_." Stella said. The poor girl would be scarred for life! That girl had gone through more than any ten year old should! Losing her parents, being kidnapped, seeing her eldest sister like _that_? Dragon. No wonder the Trix were the  
/way they were.

"This is our stop." Darcy's voice snapped her from her thoughts. The three sisters stood and made to depart.

"Well I didn't think I'd ever be saying this, but I hope she's okay." Said Stella.

"Yeah." Darcy said softly. "Us to."

With that said, they got off the bus and walked down the sidewalk towards the hospital. They walked in apprehensively and questioned the nurse at the reception desk. She directed them up to the ICU.

When they got there, a couple of nurses were busy tending to Icy. They stood outside the room, peeking through the door window until they were interrupted by a kind male voice.

"You must be Icy's sisters."

All three of them turned to see a middle aged Doctor with short, dusty brown hair and green eyes.

"Yes. . . That's right." Said Darcy. "I'm Darcy, that's Stormy, and this is Lily." She motioned to each of her sisters in turn.

"Pleased to meet you, ladies." He replied. "I'm Dr. Webb."

He led them into the room just as the nurses were finishing up and heading out. He walked over and checked the monitor, giving a satisfied nod, before turning to his patient. She was very pale, her skin being almost as white as her long hair, which had  
/been washed and brushed. She looked so small and fragile, laying there unconscious.

"Will she be okay?" Lily questioned, looking fearful.

"Well, she's not out of the woods yet, but she is definitely a strong one." The doctor replied. He proceeded to answer their questions and explain the situation.

"Aside from the stab wound, we also discovered some other injuries, all healed, but they look self inflicted." He looked around at the sisters.

Darcy bit her lip as Stormy looked at her, teal eyes widened and Lily looked from the doctor to her sisters questioningly. Darcy gave him a glare. _They weren't supposed to know that!_ The only reason Darcy new was because she'd once walked into  
/their dorm room to find Icy cutting herself. Icy was horrified that she'd been caught, and had pleaded with her not to tell Stormy. She hadn't, of course, but now this foolish doctor had.

 _Darcy walked down the corridor until she came to the door she was looking for, and pulled out her key to unlock it. As she pushed it open, her ears caught the muffled sounds coming from within. She closed the door and looked around. She walked around the room until she discovered Icy, huddled in a corner between Stormy's bed and the wall. Silent tears were running down her cheeks as she slid a blade, that shone eerily in the dim light, against her arm, forming angry red cuts._

" _ICY! What the hell are you doing!" She screamed._

 _Icy jumped, dropping the blade, her eyes snapping up to meet her sister's. "D-Darcy. . ."_

 _Darcy dropped to her knees in front of her sister. "What has gotten into you? I know you're hurting, we all are, but -"_

" _It's my fault, Darcy! It's all my fault! I was supposed to protect her, and I-I failed!"_

 _Darcy sighed. "Icy, oh Icy, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known they would go after her."_

" _But I-I should have - if I hadn't turned my back - If I had kept a closer eye on her -" Icy was full on sobbing now._

 _Darcy shook her head. "We were all there, Icy, it wasn't just you. Stormy and I are as much at blame as you are."_

" _No, you aren't! I am the oldest, I was meant to be watching over you."_

" _I won't deny the truth in that, but we were all meant to be watching Lily. None of us thought looking away for a moment would -"_

" _Lily." Icy buried her face in her hands. "Mom and Dad probably hate me now. Lily was their baby, and I was supposed to protect her now that they're gone and now they hate me because I couldn't."_

" _Stop it, Icy! They don't hate you! They could never hate you!" Darcy exclaimed._

" _Yes they do! How could they not, when I'm such a failure!"_

" _You are not a failure, Icy. Now calm down and let's get you cleaned up before Stormy gets back." Darcy stood and pulled her sister up with her, before leading the way to their bathroom._

" _Please don't tell Stormy about this. She doesn't need to know, she has enough to deal with." Icy pleaded._

" _I won't, Icy, but don't ever scare me like that again."_

 **Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed and please review. I love to hear what you think!**


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